Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Datasheet for 802.11ac Wave 2 Access Points

The Cisco Aironet 3800 Series is a controller-based 802.11ac Wave 2 access point family designed for high-density indoor enterprise deployments, with dual radios, 4×4 MIMO, three spatial streams, flexible radio assignment, multigigabit Ethernet, modular expansion, and internal or external antenna options.

The family is intended for environments where client density, RF adaptability, coverage flexibility, and uplink capacity are more important than a basic two-radio access point design. The 3800 Series supports conventional 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz operation, dual 5-GHz client-serving operation, wireless security monitoring, and Cisco Mobility Express deployments of up to 100 access points.

Product selection

Three hardware variants are available:

• 3800i: Internal antennas for standard indoor environments.
• 3800e: External antennas for challenging indoor environments and specialized coverage designs.
• 3800p: External antennas with support for antenna gains up to 13 dBi when used with the specified AIR-ANT2513-P4M-N= antenna.

The 3800e and 3800p provide the greatest antenna design flexibility. They also include the smart antenna connector required when the flexible radio is configured as a second 5-GHz serving radio or as a Wireless Security Monitoring radio.

The 3800i is generally the most direct choice for offices, classrooms, meeting spaces, and other areas where the standard integrated antenna pattern is appropriate. The 3800e and 3800p are more suitable for auditoriums, convention centers, libraries, cafeterias, arenas, stadiums, and other spaces requiring directional or specialized antennas.

SKU and service matrix

The regulatory-domain placeholder x must be replaced with the applicable regulatory domain. Customers are responsible for verifying approval for the intended country before ordering.

The service table contains the same AS-WLAN-CNSLT identifier for three listed service descriptions. The service description must therefore be confirmed during quoting and ordering.

Radio architecture and capacity

The 3800 Series uses two integrated radios. Flexible Radio Assignment allows the radios to adapt to the RF environment and deployment objective.

Supported operating modes include:

• 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz mode: One radio serves 2.4-GHz clients and the other serves 5-GHz clients.
• Dual 5-GHz mode: Both radios serve 5-GHz clients, increasing 5-GHz client capacity and providing a combined theoretical over-the-air rate of up to 5.2 Gbps, based on two radios at up to 2.6 Gbps each.
• Wireless Security Monitoring and 5-GHz mode: One radio serves 5-GHz clients while the other scans the full spectrum for attackers, interference, and rogue devices.
• Wireless Service Assurance mode: A radio can be converted for proactive network health monitoring.

The 802.11ac Wave 2 implementation provides 4×4 MU-MIMO with three spatial streams. MU-MIMO can split spatial streams between client devices, subject to client capability, channel conditions, and RF design. The stated 5.2-Gbps figure is a theoretical PHY or over-the-air connection-rate value, not an application throughput guarantee.

Supported channel widths are 20, 40, 80, and 160 MHz. Dynamic Bandwidth Selection can switch between these widths according to RF conditions. Wider channels can increase PHY rates but reduce channel reuse and may be unsuitable in dense or interference-prone environments. Channel width should therefore be selected as part of the RF design rather than enabled uniformly.

The published PHY rates include:

These are PHY rates. Actual client throughput is lower and depends on protocol overhead, contention, client radio capability, RF quality, airtime utilization, encryption, application behavior, and wired uplink capacity.

RF features and antenna planning

The 3800 Series includes Cisco CleanAir, Cisco ClientLink 4.0, cross-access-point noise reduction, optimized access-point roaming, MIMO equalization, and beamforming support.

Cisco ClientLink 4.0 improves downlink performance for one-, two-, and three-spatial-stream devices operating with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. CleanAir provides spectrum intelligence across 20-, 40-, 80-, and 160-MHz channels. Cross-access-point noise reduction allows access points to exchange RF condition information and coordinate for improved signal quality.

Integrated antenna specifications are:

• Flexible-radio 2.4-GHz antenna: 4 dBi gain, internal, omnidirectional in azimuth.
• Flexible-radio 5-GHz antenna: 6 dBi gain, internal, directional, with a 90-degree elevation-plane beamwidth.
• Dedicated 5-GHz radio antenna: 5 dBi gain, internal, omnidirectional in azimuth.

External antenna limits are:

• 3802e: certified for antenna gains up to 6 dBi at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
• 3802p: certified for antenna gains up to 13 dBi at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz when used with AIR-ANT2513-P4M-N=.

The smart antenna connector is available only on 3802e and 3802p models. The AIR-CAB002-DART-R= 2-foot smart antenna connector to RP-TNC connectors is required to connect a second antenna. This connection is required when the flexible radio operates as a second 5-GHz serving radio or a Wireless Security Monitoring radio.

Presales antenna rules are straightforward:

1. Use the 3800i when integrated antenna coverage is compatible with the room geometry.
2. Use the 3800e when the design requires external antennas but does not require the 3800p antenna-gain capability.
3. Use the 3800p where the specified high-gain antenna combination is required.
4. Include external antennas and smart antenna cabling as separate design items; they are not included as integrated 3800e or 3800p components.
5. Validate the regulatory domain, antenna gain, cable loss, mounting location, and transmit-power limit together.

The maximum number of nonoverlapping channels listed for 2.4 GHz is three at 20 MHz for 802.11b/g and 802.11n. For 5 GHz, the listed 20-MHz maximum is 25 channels in FCC environments and 16 in EU environments. At 160 MHz, the listed maximum is two FCC channels and one EU channel. Actual availability varies by regulatory domain and DFS requirements.

Wired connectivity, PoE, and installation sizing

The access point provides two Ethernet ports:

• One 100/1000/2500/5000 Multigigabit Ethernet RJ-45 port using IEEE 802.3bz.
• One 100/1000BASE-T autosensing RJ-45 AUX port.
• One RJ-45 management console port.

The multigigabit interface supports 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps, and 5 Gbps. The listed speeds are supported over Category 5e cabling. Higher-quality 10GBASE-T Category 6 or Category 6a cabling is also supported. Automatic LAG uses 802.3ad LACP and allows both Ethernet interfaces to operate together for increased access-point uplink throughput.

Power options are:

• IEEE 802.3at PoE+.
• Cisco Universal Power over Ethernet.
• AIR-PWRINJ6= 802.3at power injector.
• AIR-PWR-50= 50-W power supply.

Published power consumption is:

• 25.8 W at the power sourcing equipment and 22.5 W at the powered device with all features enabled except the USB 2.0 port.
• 30 W at the power sourcing equipment and 25.5 W at the powered device with the USB 2.0 port enabled.

A switch port should be selected with sufficient PoE+ capability for the access point’s operating mode and enabled features. The difference between PSE and PD values must be considered when calculating switch power budgets. If USB operation, modular accessories, or other future expansion is part of the design, the PoE budget should not be sized only to the lower no-USB value.

The modular architecture provides up to 18 W for attached modules. Modules can be added or removed through the side-mounted connection without dismounting the access point from the ceiling. The architecture supports Cisco Aironet Developer Platform applications and the Cisco Beacon Point Module.

Software, controllers, and management

The 3800 Series supports:

• Cisco Unified Wireless Network Software Release 8.2.111.0 or later.
• Cisco IOS XE Software Release 16.3.
• Cisco 2500, 3500, 5500, 7500, 8500, and 9800 Series Wireless Controllers.
• Cisco Wireless Controller Module for ISR G2.
• Cisco Wireless Services Module 2 for Catalyst 6500 Series switches.
• Cisco Virtual Wireless Controller.
• Cisco Catalyst 3850 and 3650 Series switches.
• Cisco Mobility Express.

Cisco Mobility Express supports deployments of up to 100 access points without a physical controller. Controller-based deployments require compatibility between the access-point software, controller platform, licensing model, and selected operating mode.

Cisco DNA software subscriptions are required to connect access points to a Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Wireless Controller. Cisco DNA Essentials and Cisco DNA Advantage are supported. Perpetual Network Essentials and Network Advantage licensing covers wireless fundamentals including 802.1X authentication, QoS, Plug and Play, telemetry and visibility, Single Sign-On, and security controls.

Cisco DNA subscription terms are available for 3, 5, or 7 years. If a subscription is not renewed, Cisco DNA features expire, while Network Essentials and Network Advantage features remain. Smart Licensing and Specific License Reservation are supported. Specific License Reservation is intended for highly secure networks where license usage information is not communicated to Cisco or a satellite.

Security and standards

The access point supports WPA3, WPA2, WPA, 802.1X, AES, and TKIP. Supported EAP types include:

• EAP-TLS.
• EAP-TTLS with MSCHAPv2.
• PEAP with MSCHAPv2.
• EAP-FAST.
• PEAP with EAP-GTC.
• EAP-SIM.

Wireless standards include IEEE 802.11a/b/g, 802.11n, 802.11h, 802.11d, 802.11r, 802.11k, 802.11v, 802.11u, 802.11w, and 802.11ac. Wi-Fi Multimedia, Wi-Fi Vantage, and Passpoint are listed as supported Wi-Fi Alliance capabilities.

Physical and environmental specifications

All dimensions are stated without mounting brackets.

Operating environmental limits are:

All three variants have a nonoperating storage temperature range of -22 to 158 F (-30 to 70 C) and a storage altitude test of 25 C at 15,000 ft.

The 3800e operating range is suitable for more demanding indoor conditions than the 3800i. The 3800e is also listed with EN 50155 compliance for the -20 to 50 C operating range.

System memory consists of 1024 MB DRAM and 256 MB flash. The status LED indicates boot-loader status, association status, operating status, boot-loader warnings, and boot-loader errors.

The supplied specifications do not state an MTBF value, fan configuration, or acoustic-noise rating. Acoustic noise should therefore be treated as not specified in the product selection record and confirmed separately if the installation has a strict sound-level requirement. No MTBF figure should be used for availability modeling unless obtained from the applicable product support documentation.

Transmit power and receive performance

Available transmit-power settings for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are:

23 dBm, 20 dBm, 17 dBm, 14 dBm, 11 dBm, 8 dBm, 5 dBm, and 2 dBm.

The corresponding power levels are listed as 200 mW, 100 mW, 50 mW, 25 mW, 12.5 mW, 6.25 mW, 3.13 mW, and 1.56 mW.

Receive sensitivity varies by radio, modulation, channel width, and spatial-stream count. Representative published values include:

• 5-GHz radio, 802.11a/g at 6 Mbps: -93 dBm.
• 5-GHz radio, 802.11ac VHT80, three spatial streams at MCS9: -65 dBm.
• 5-GHz radio, 802.11ac VHT160, two spatial streams at MCS9: -63 dBm.
• 2.4-GHz flexible radio, 802.11b at 1 Mbps: -101 dBm.
• 2.4-GHz flexible radio, 802.11b at 11 Mbps: -88 dBm.

These values are radio test specifications, not a substitute for a site survey. Coverage planning must account for client transmit power, antenna pattern, attenuation, co-channel interference, adjacent-channel interference, channel width, and the target minimum data rate.

Deployment guidance

The 3800 Series is best matched to deployments with one or more of the following requirements:

• High client density.
• Significant 5-GHz client populations.
• Flexible conversion between client service and spectrum monitoring.
• External antenna coverage designs.
• Multigigabit access-layer connectivity.
• Modular IoT or location-related expansion.
• Controller-based management or Mobility Express.
• Cisco DNA operational analytics and automation.

A presales design should establish the following before selecting a final SKU:

1. Country and regulatory domain.
2. Internal versus external antenna requirement.
3. Required coverage pattern and antenna gain.
4. Expected client density and application mix.
5. Whether dual 5-GHz service or security monitoring is required.
6. PoE switch capability and per-port power budget.
7. Category 5e, Category 6, or Category 6a cabling condition.
8. Controller, software release, and licensing model.
9. Need for LAG or multigigabit uplink operation.
10. Environmental temperature and acoustic constraints.
11. Whether modular accessories will be installed.
12. Required support and hardware replacement coverage.

Warranty and support

The Aironet 3800 Series includes a limited lifetime hardware warranty. Coverage applies for as long as the original end user continues to own or use the product. The warranty includes advance hardware replacement within 10 days and states that software media are defect-free for 90 days.

Smart Net Total Care service SKUs are listed for the 3800i, 3800e, and 3800p families. The listed service descriptions specify SNTC-8X5XNBD coverage. Service should be quoted separately from the access point hardware and matched to the selected antenna variant and deployment quantity.

Cisco Wireless LAN services listed for the family include network planning and design, 802.11n migration, and performance and security assessment. These services are relevant when the deployment requires RF validation, migration planning, capacity analysis, or investigation of performance and security issues.